


Kitsune Koibito

by choriarty



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Accidental Demon Summoning, Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Demon AU, First Dates, Food, M/M, Over enthusiastic friends, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 18:33:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12348279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/choriarty/pseuds/choriarty
Summary: Genji had only meant it as a way of venting his frustration... he didn't think that the old ritual he found wouldactuallywork.





	Kitsune Koibito

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Oni and Okashi](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9506510) by [choriarty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/choriarty/pseuds/choriarty). 



> KITSUNE (狐) - Fox  
> KOIBITO (恋人) - Lover
> 
> Zenyatta's outfit and appearance are inspired by [@greatsenpai's drawings.](https://twitter.com/i/moments/860018490362650625)

“Oh,” said Genji.

He didn’t mean to _actually_ do it. It was supposed to be a joke. Kind of. More like an act of lashing out towards the family, really. Genji had been angry at his brother for ratting him out, angry at his father for grounding him, and angry at his entire family in general for being so… for being so _them._ All ‘rules’ and ‘honour’ and stupid stuff like that. Who cared about that kind of shit? Not Genji. Genji couldn’t care less. Which was why he was grounded.

But as he watched the crudely drawn circle on his bedroom floor retch up smoke, he had to wonder if he was better off just accepting his house arrest.

Another wave billowed out and Genji quickly covered his mouth with a hand and clenched his eyes shut. Even with just his nose peeking out it was difficult to breathe. Genjo coughed hard enough to hack up a lung and waved his arm around wildly in an attempt to disperse the smoke. He opened his eyes.

There was a person standing in the middle of the circle that had not been there before. It was human-shaped and human-sized and might have passed for human entirely if Genji hadn’t just seen it be summoned. As the smoke faded away into nothing, more of the silhouette became visible. Nine black orbs with red painted eyes sat at the base of its neck. A large black cloak rippled behind it, and there was the shiny fastener holding up its robes. It was silver with a black centre and smack in the centre was the characters for ‘FOX’ in bright red. Black pants were curtained by an olive wave pattern robe that lead up to-- nothing. It wasn’t wearing anything on its chest. It was shirtless. 

Yet what caught Genji’s attention and kept it was the bright white-and-red mask that it wore. A grinning kitsune looked back at him, its face unmoving with a permanent look of mischief painted on in red.

And then Genji saw its claws.

“Fuck.”

The demon _(what else could it be!!)_ stepped out of its summoning circle and into Genji’s personal space. Warm breath seeped underneath the kitsune mask just enough for Genji to feel it. The kitsune demon cocked its head to the side and spoke inside Genji’s head.

_[What is your wish?]_

“Uhhhh,” Genji said eloquently. His throat was dry and it hurt when he tried to swallow. In truth, as he had been drawing the chalk lines into his floor, all he had thought about was sicking a horde of imps on his household. He had fantasized of watching them torment his family and the clan, pulling on their hair and nipping at their flesh while they trashed the palace. But the demon inches away from his face was not a harmless imp; it radiated power and its claws were definitely too sharp to just scratch people. Genji didn’t want to kill anyone.

Genji didn’t think that the summoning would work at _all!!_

“I, uh,” Genji fumbled. “I… don’t know?”

He nearly jumped out of his skin when the black orbs around the demon’s neck blinked at him. Despair roiled in his gut as the eyes watched him, unblinking, unmoving except to keep track of him. The demon straightened out and pulled back a centimetre.

_[You… do not know?]_

“Yeah…” Genji avoided looking directly at the mask’s eyes. “I, uh, changed my mind at the last minute. Now I don’t know what I want. So, uh, you can go now I guess.”

There was a moment when neither person said anything at all. They stayed stock still where they were, Genji standing a tad too straight and the demon leaning into his personal space. In fact, it was just enough time for Genji to say his final prayers--

Except the demon didn’t kill him. It stepped back and brought one clawed hand to its mask as it made the first actual sound that wasn’t inside Genji’s head. It was… a laugh? Was Genji hallucinating?

“This is your first time, I take it?” said the demon; it’s voice was low and warm. Too bad Genji was not a mature person who was not able to do anything but associate ‘first time’ with sex immediately.

“W-What?” he choked.

“Summoning,” the demon clarified. “Is this not your first?”

“Oh…” Genji felt his face turn warm with embarrassment. “Yeah... Yeah, this is my first time summoning anything.”

“I thought so. It’s not often that intermediate witches try to run away from their magic circles.”

“Sorry… I didn’t think that this would actually work-- wait, did you say ‘witches’?”

“Correct.”

“But I’m not a witch.”

“Were you the one who drew this summoning circle?”

“Yes…”

“And were you the one that chanted the spell?”

“Yes.”

“Then you are a witch,” said the demon.

“No I’m not.”

The demon drew its legs up into a sitting position and-- wait a second.. it was floating! It sat midair like it was the most normal thing in the world. Had it been floating this entire time?! “Did we not just review this?”

Genji opened his mouth to argue some more-- but clapped it shut at the last second. He was getting off track. “Whatever! It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I, uh,” Genji hesitated as he looked at the actual real physical demon in front of him. “Don’t need you right now. So... you can go.”

The demon cocked its head at him again. “You really are a novice, aren’t you?”

“Y-Yeah? What does that have to do with anything?”

Genji squeaked (though he will never ever admit it) as the demon was suddenly in his face again, this time much closer than before. He could feel a phantom of their impending touch-- except they were already touching. When Genji had raised his hands to instinctively protect himself, the demon closed in enough to press its bare chest against them. Genji was able to process _smooth, firm, warm_ in the fraction of a second it took him to yank his hands backwards.

“It has everything to do with everything,” the demon hummed in its syrupy sweet voice. “I cannot leave until I have fulfilled what I was summoned here to do.”

Genji swallowed loudly. “Isn’t there another way…?”

“Yes. I can fulfill the wish of who summoned me, or I could kill them,” The room dropped several degrees. “But I imagine that you prefer the former.”

“You were right,” Genji managed to say. “I like the sound of not dying.”

The demon hummed, taking a moment too long to linger close to its human before floating backwards once more. It did not look flustered, unlike Genji. “If you want me gone, you should think of a wish for me to fulfill. Unless your wish is for a new roommate.”

There was the intrusive idea to go through with his original request-- but Genji quickly shook that off. No; he would not send this thing after his family, even if he was still mad at them. “Could I... have a moment to think about it?”

Was it just him, or had the mask’s smile widened? “Of course.”

As he brainstormed for new ideas, _any_ new ideas, his gaze shifted back to the demon in his room. It floated midair still, though it had moved out of its lotus position and was now lounging. Somehow he got the feeling that he was being… mocked. “I can’t concentrate with you constantly watching me!”

The demon shrugged overdramatically and rotated midair to it was facing the other direction. Somehow that did not make it any better. However hard he tried, Genji couldn’t think of anything worth asking a demon to do. He could always take the easy way out and ‘wish’ for it to clean his room or finish his thesis for him, but when was the last time anyone got an actual _demon_ at their beck and call? Genji could wish to be the king of the world, or wish for wealth beyond measure, but both of those things never ended well in every story he had heard. He was trapped between wishing for something reasonable and something extraordinary. 

Finally Genji smacked his face with both palms and groaned into them. “I can't think like this!” he wailed and as soon as he uncovered his eyes he screamed. 

“Is that all?” the demon asked uncomfortably close to Genji’s face. “Perhaps you should meditate, or take a walk to clear your head.”

“G-Get out of my face!” Genji spluttered and quickly put space in between them. 

Yet… a walk was not such a bad idea. He had always been shit at meditating, but walks he could handle. Yeah, that was all he needed. A quick jaunt through his favourite part of the shopping district would put him at ease, maybe even give him ideas. He was about to voice his new plan out loud when he spotted the demon floating near his shelves. 

“If I’m going out,” Genji batted clawed hands away from his figurine collection. “You’re coming with me.”

* * *

Thirty minutes and too many outfits later, Genji had finally dressed his mandatory partner-in-crime in something that could let it pass as human. “You can’t go around shirtless,” Genji had said. The demon looked at him funny (or as funny as it could while its face was covered), “Does it matter how my physical form is seen by humans?” “It does when everyone can see your tits hanging out.”

And so Genji left his room followed by the shadiest-looking person he had ever seen. Somehow a dark grey hoodie and jeans had not made the demon look any less like a trouble-maker, especially since it refused to take off the mask. Genji shooshed the demon and warned it that he wasn’t allowed to be out of his room, technically, so be quiet and don’t cause any trouble.

“Perhaps you should take your own advice.”

Hanzo appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It was as if his name had been said three times. Genji really wished people would stop catching him off guard today, wasn’t a surprise accidental demon enough?

“Hanzo…. yooo,” Genji greeted lamely, dragging out the ‘oh’ for longer than necessary. “What’s up? I didn’t know you were in your study…”

Unsurprisingly, Hanzo did not give his brother anything to work with. His gaze flicked from Genji-- to the demon-- and then back again. “Who is this?” he crossed his arms. “How did they get inside? The guards have been told that you aren’t allowed visitors.”

“They-- uh-- they’re--” Genji realized for the first time that he hadn’t asked the demon’s name.

“You may call me Zenyatta,” the demon cut in, their warm voice slicing through the tense atmosphere like a hot knife through butter. “I am Genji’s friend.”

Genji braced himself for his imminent trip six feet under at the hands of his big brother. Yet as he winced and looked away… nothing happened. There was no accusing shouts nor wagging fingers. Genji looked up to see his brother blink blankly at Genji’s demon. Hanzo’s shoulders relaxed and his expression turned friendly.

“Oh, you’re Genji’s friend?” Hanzo repeated back. “Strange, I’ve never seen you before… When did you arrive?”

“Not too long ago. You must be Genji’s brother.”

“You’re correct. I am Shimada Hanzo.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Shimada-san,” ‘Zenyatta’ bowed politely. “Genji and I were just about to go out. Would you like to come along?”

Dread sat heavily in Genji’s gut. The demon had gone and said it, straight up, that they were leaving the compound. Maybe Zenyatta had fooled Hanzo before, but now they were completely and utterly busted.

“Ah, no thank you,” Hanzo shook his head. “But I appreciate the offer. Have fun.”

Genji’s jaw dropped far enough for him to feel the wood floor. Dumb expression stuck on his face, he watched as Hanzo turned around and walked away like it was the most normal thing in the world. No matter how intensely he watched and waited, Hanzo did not whip around and yell at them like he should have. Genji didn’t notice that he was spacing out until Hanzo had finally turned a corner and ‘Zenyatta’ spoke.

“Shouldn’t we be going?”

“What-- What did you do to him?!” Genji waved his hand violently in the direction his brother had gone. “Was it some demon-y magic shit?! Did you brainwash him?!”

“‘Brainwash’?” Zenyatta echoed. “What a colourful term! I’ve always loved humans and their penchant for hyperboles. A demon would never think of something so creative as washing someone’s brain since it would likely get damaged by the soap--”

“That’s not an answer!!” Genji barked.

“I did not wash Hanzo’s brain, nor did I maliciously control him with my magic,” Zenyatta said. “I simply ‘persuaded’ him. Words can be very powerful, especially if they are magical.”

“Oh my God,” said Genji. “You literally did the mind trick from Star Wars.”

After that, leaving the compound was easy. The guards had been told of Genji’s house arrest but in truth what could they do about it? Genji was the young master and they were only regular people. No one in the hall paid them any mind and the men at the gate only gave weak protests before they watched Genji just walk out anyways.

It would be difficult to explain how the youngest Shimada blatantly walked out accompanied by someone no one had ever seen before… to whom he was explaining the plot of Star Wars.

Giddiness bounced around the inside of Genji’s chest with each step on the pavement, taking him farther and farther away from the palace. He had done it, he had really gone and escaped from his house arrest! It had looked so impossible… never before had he been grounded and had not only Hanzo, but the entire staff pitted against him. He had been set on the idea of sitting in his room and moping for a week.

“Why do you allow those guards to keep you trapped inside?” Zenyatta asked curiously.

“What? I don’t _let_ them,” Genji scoffed. “I’m good at fighting but I’m pretty sure that they could beat me with their numbers if I tried to escape.”

“But with your powers it would be easy to deal with them.”

“What powers?”

“Your witch powers.”

“Ugh!” Genji threw his hands up. “I told you! I’m not a witch!!”

“Yes, you are,” Zenyatta said; and with that he turned to his summoner and grabbed his arm. Genji only had time to squawk in indignation before Zenyatta muttered something that sounded like the scrape of rock on rock. A sleeve of the shirt that Genji was wearing caught fire and as Genji tried to yank away from the demon Zenyatta grasped his shoulder to keep him locked in place. No matter how much he struggled he could not break free and suddenly it hit him; the malicious nature that demons had, and how he had summoned one.

A gasp was pulled from his throat as he felt Zenyatta’s hand squeeze and drag from his shoulder downwards. The grip crossed the line of painful just enough for it to feel like the world’s worst pinch, if pinches happened in large areas that moved. Genji could swear that he felt his muscles shift and his bones grind. When Zenyatta had gotten down to the soft meat of Genji’s inner elbow his eyes snapped wide open. What he saw stole his breath away.

On his arm, painted over the areas that Zenyatta’s grip had dragged over, was a great green tattoo. A long dragon’s body twisted and coiled around Genji’s flesh and more of it was exposed with every passing centimetre of Zenyatta’s hand. When Genji’s wrist was finally reached and Zenyatta let go, immediately the soreness in Genji’s arm evaporated. What was left was a warm, toasty feeling, akin to the kind one would get by sitting in the sun all day. 

“What the fuck,” Genji said carefully. “Did you just do to me?”

“I only opened your mana channels.”

“My _what?!_ ”

“They were very weak from disuse, but you obviously have a very powerful bloodline.”

It only just came to Genji’s head to look around. The two of them had been in the middle of the pedestrian walkway just a couple of blocks away from the compound. Genji’s eyes flicked around from person to person and reality sank into the pit of his stomach; Zenyatta had used some freaky magic while they were in public. Two kids watched them with wide eyes from the vending machines they had been using. A woman who had been browsing the wares put on display had stopped in the middle of what she was doing and stared.

“Zenyatta!” Genji hissed and yanked him close. “We’re in public! You can’t just do that kind of shit around other people!”

“I barely did anything at all.”

“You just gave me a magic tattoo!!”

Zenyatta’s trickster mask tipped as he looked at his summoner strangely. “Is your status as a magic user hidden?”

“What? I mean-- no! I’m _not_ magic, so of course no one knows--”

“I understand,” Zenyatta nodded. With a snap of his fingers, the smell of oranges filled the air and each bystander’s eyes turned glossy.

Zenyatta spun around and stepped backwards into Genji’s space so that he bumped together chest-to-back. Genji was just about to ask what that was for when the demon promptly squatted and slipped his arms behind Genji’s knees. With one swift movement Zenyatta stood and plucked Genji off of the ground in a piggyback position. Then he hopped.

But he didn’t go back down to the ground as gravity normally dictated. Zenyatta continued to go upwards into the air-- and as Genji’s weight began shifting backwards (to which he yelped and shot forwards to wrap himself around Zenyatta’s neck) he realized that they were not going to come down anytime soon-- they were flying.

Genji had never seen his home from an eagle’s eye before. Logically he knew that he should be terrified of the fact that a demon was technically kidnapping him… and yet. Every pink, fluffy tree that Genji had ever walked past was but a cotton ball on the ground. All of the streets became matchsticks and even his home was just a bottlecap from where they were midair. Genji could reach down and pluck the landmarks from the ground.

He eventually faced forward and got an eyeful of hoodie. The image of Zenyatta in his head was so confusing, always changing, a whirlpool of tie-dye. There was Zenyatta stepping out of the summoning circle with smoke curling around his mask, Zenyatta hypnotizing Hanzo, turning people glazed with just a snap of his fingers.

Genji might have seen him for a monsterous demon… if he wasn’t so _human_ shaped. Those hands of his were just warm enough and just calloused enough to pass for normal. He had fit into Genji’s clothes like a second skin and had dressed himself with the experience of a human who wore casual sweats everyday of their life. 

So many thoughts had been running through Genji’s head that he hadn’t noticed they were descending until Zenyatta touched down (or at least touched down as much as he could since he hovered almost constantly). As he stepped down from Zenyatta’s piggyback ride, Genji looked around. They were at a temple… the temple Genji remembered to be abandoned. He had come here as a child with his family. Now the black stain of rain painted almost every stone surface. The roof tiles were long since sun bleached. The wilderness had crept in from the surroundings now that there was no one to garden. 

“A temple…” Genji said. “Aren't you, I don't know… warded off from these kinds of places? Blessings and holy barriers or something.”

“The barriers have long since decayed,” said Zenyatta. “But we are far enough away that it is unlikely any humans will come here and find us.”

After the ride of his life, Genji had almost forgot about why he was panicked in the first place. He gathered himself and spun around to fix his demon with the look that Hanzo usually gave him. “Okay, about that, you can't just use magic in public! Someone will see you!”

“Is that bad?”

“Yes! I don't know what it was like the last time you were summoned, but no one uses magic! Magic doesn't exist! Or-- it isn't supposed to.”

“It does.”

“Well I know that now!” Genji groaned loudly-- but then cut himself off. He sighed and dragged a hand down his face. “Sorry. I shouldn't yell at you. It was my fault I didn't tell you not to use magic.”

“I assumed it was fine, since you are using magic.”

“For the last time, I'm not a…” Genji glanced down at his magically tattooed arm. “... I wasn't using magic.”

Zenyatta walked towards him, and before Genji had a moment to step back his personal space was being intruded upon. Again. Genji tensed like a bow string, expecting the worst, another grab and painful magic tattoo, but it never came. 

Instead, fingers brushed through Genji's hair. “So this is your natural color? How wonderful!”

“Wh-what?” Genji sputtered and instinctively batted Zenyatta’s hand away. “No! I dyed it. It's not magic.”

“Curious… I had been wondering how you got this shade of green. I've never seen anything like it.”

“Well it's not exactly normal…” Genji said. “And speaking of normal, if you're going to tag along with me you're gonna have to act like a human.”

Zenyatta brought a finger to the chin of his mask and tapped it absent-mindedly. “... Alright. Teach me of your normal human ways.”

The attitude in Zenyatta’s words tugged at the corners of Genji's mouth. He decided to ignore it. “Okay first of all, normal humans don't use magic.”

“I believe we established that twelve paragraphs ago.”

Genji ignored that too. “Second of all, humans don't wear masks.”

“Oh, is that all?” and without tugging at any straps or strings, Zenyatta shifted his mask up and to the side of his head. Underneath was a normal man-- if normal men were capable of causing an entire intersection-wide car accident with their beauty. His skin was warm enough to- perhaps literally- have been kissed by the sun. Instead of red or black like Genji would expect, his irises were a bright blue, blue enough to make Genji write poetry in his mind of how it compared to the sky. Faint laugh lines sat on his cheeks and might have fooled Genji into thinking he was a human-- if he hadn't just been picked up and flown here by him. 

“You…” Genji fumbled for words. “Have you had that this entire time?”

Zenyatta pointed at his face. “You mean my face?”

“Uh,” When it was said like that it sounded stupid. “... no?”

“Then what?”

“Nothing, nevermind,” Genji said. “You look good-- I mean inconspicuous… Your disguise is good, that's what I meant.”

“Thank you,” Zenyatta’s face bloomed into a smile. Genji was suddenly caught between regretting everything since this morning and jumping for joy. Maybe the mask was more for the mortals’ sake and not Zenyatta’s. “I'm glad to know that I meet your approval.”

Genji a little bit more than approved of him, but he wasn't going to say that. 

“Right. Let's just… get out of here. Standing around a decrepit old temple is starting to make me realize what I've gotten myself into.”

Genji turned on his heel and began the long walk down the hill, watching his footing because of all the moss and slime that covered the stone steps. This place was a death trap ready to happen. Though, somehow he thought that Zenyatta wouldn't mind that. 

“You mean how you summoned a demon into your home?” Zenyatta asked as he drifted downward and followed the other. 

Genji winced. “Yeah, that. I'd rather not think about it.”

“That's silly,” said Zenyatta bluntly. “Ignoring reality will not make it go away, nor will it fix what is broken. It may hurt your pride but the healthiest thing you can do is embrace the consequences and work on fixing them, instead of shaming yourself.”

Genji looked at Zenyatta funny. “What are you, a monk?” he looked down at Zenyatta’s feet. “Stop floating. Humans don't float.”

Zenyatta did as he was told. “Do I need to have a certain title to preach the truth?”

“No, I guess not…”

The conversation drifted away after that, and they walked in silence for what was left of the walk into the town. Coming face to face with the large red archway made Genji feel like a delinquent, especially as he lifted and ducked under the rope blocking off the area from the public. 

To Zenyatta’s credit, he acted extremely human. No more floating, no more strange orbs covered in eyeballs, and no more white fluffy tail. It was not enough to fool Genji now that he had gotten used to it, but it _was_ enough to fool his friends. 

“Hey, Genji!” came a voice. “Who's that you got with you?”

The sound had come from a gaggle of young adults, just about Genji's age, all dressed in the same colourful and fashionable way. They had called out to him as soon as Genji had walked into the arcade and were waving and jumping obnoxiously. 

“Uh, just a new friend,” Genji called back awkwardly.

The entire group broke into a chorus of ‘oooohhhhh’s all while making kissy faces and other not safe for work gestures. “Have fun with your _friend~”_

Genji spluttered and felt all of the blood rush to his face, an embarrassed reaction that only sped up when he heard Zenyatta chuckle behind him. In retaliation he flipped his friends the bird and mouthed ‘fuck off’, to which they busted into laughter again. The ensuing frown was possibly permanently painted onto Genji’s face. He grabbed Zenyatta’s hand and dragged him towards the games-- the ones _far_ away from his friends.

“I should’ve known that a walk wouldn’t help. This…” Genji gestured to the entire arcade. “This is where I come to clear my head.”

Zenyatta raised an eyebrow. “You prefer this place to a peaceful park?”

“Yup,” Genji popped the ‘p’. They came to a halt at one of the larger machines, its screen matching the width of the fat drums below. With practiced ease Genji whipped out the two batons from their holder and shrugged to get more slack from their tether. 

“This is a game?” Zenyatta asked. 

“Yeah. It's a rhythm game, you gotta hit the drums to the music on time with the notes on the screen. It gets really tricky on hard mode and easy is plain boring, sometimes I put it on medium and just zone out, let myself daydream.”

“Won't you lose if you do that?”

“Nah, I've gotten one of my high scores that way,” Genji glanced to the other and smirked. “Now, watch me get a win without even trying.”

And Genji did win just like always. In fact, it was so much like always that Genji completely forgot why he was here in the first place. Without a second thought he threw another coin into the machine and started a new game. Then another game...and another game… 

It was only when Genji felt his stomach gurgle that he was brought out of his gaming fugue state. He blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust to the real world, and looked behind him. “Hey, let's go get something to--”

There was no one there. 

“Fuck,” Genji berated himself for not only ignoring his guest, but also letting him loose unto the public. He whipped around frantically in a desperate hope that Zenyatta was still around. 

It was easier to find him than expected. The demon was only an aisle away, his stark white mask standing out against the dim room, seemingly fiddling with a machine. When Genji jogged up to him, he found Zenyatta playing ‘Vivi’s Adventure 2’. 

“Are you…” Genji stared at the scene in front of him. “Are you playing that?”

“Oh. Hello, Genji,” Zenyatta said cheerfully, not taking his eyes off the screen. “Yes I am playing.”

“How..? You don't have any change. I thought…”

“In case you've forgotten, I _am_ magic.”

“So you-- I'm gonna get in trouble if the owner catches you! You could have just asked me and I would have paid for… Wait a second,” Genji did a double take at the name emblazoned on the machine's face. “You can't play that.”

“And why not?”

“That's Vivi’s Adventure 2! It's hardest game in the arcade!” At one point there had even been a $200 bounty on it, prize money going to whomever could get past level six. The old fashioned WANTED poster was still stuck up on the side of the machine where it blocked the face of the new mascot, which was just a cash grab by the game devs to sell more merch. 

“I didn't know that,” Zenyatta said. “The pictures were cute, I wanted to take a closer look.”

“This thing is a ripoff! The controls are so bad that no one can make it past the halfway marker, not to mention the unfair hit boxes and the fact what when you die you have to start from the beginning of the lev…” Genji's rant drifted off as he took a closer look at Zenyatta’s game. “... I've never seen that level before. Where are you?”

“I'm in the arcade with you, Genji.”

“No, where are you in the game!?”

“Truthfully, I haven't been keeping track. I think I'm somewhere in the eighth or ninth area.”

“What???”

It was most likely true. Vivi’s sprite was jumping off of large mushrooms and walking through an enchanted forest, which Genji had never seen before. It was almost as if he was watching an entirely different game. 

“Oh my God,” Genji murmured. “Even I couldn't get this far. You beat my record…”

The air popped and the lights dimmed. Zenyatta turned away from his game for the first time since Genji had arrived, and locked their eyes together. Instead of blue Zenyatta’s eyes glowed gold, his jieba matching, and both of them together created the eerie effect of headlights at night. 

_[Is that your wish?]_ Zenyatta’s voice echoed and bounced around inside Genji's head. _[To set the record?]_

Genji's pride did a backflip; not even some of the world’s best gamers could finish Vivi 2. He could be the celebrity of the arcade-- no, he could be on par with Hana Song! Maybe he would get to meet her in person, play with her, become friends… 

His eyes moved to the machine, to Vivi’s tiny sprite, to Zenyatta’s glowing eyes. 

Then before Genji could actually articulate his answer, his mouth blurted it out for him, “No.”

Those lighthouse eyes blinked. “No?” Zenyatta echoed back. “Then you have a wish in mind?”

“Yeah,” No, no he didn't. That was a lie. A big, fat one. It was as untruthful as lies could get. Which was very. 

“What is it?”

“I'll… tell you later,” said Genji. “I wanna eat first.”

“Oh.”

Zenyatta’s glow flickered off, and the room was back to the way it was. Had it even changed or did it just feel like it? Genji's friends were still shouting across the arcade, the girl at the counter was still just as tired looking as before, and the teenagers still in their school uniforms crowded around the claw machines. 

“Let's go,” Zenyatta smiled at Genji like he was the best thing in the room right now. Genji's stomach fluttered, and it probably wasn't from hunger. 

A sad bleep came from the game that Zenyatta was still holding the controls to. The noise stole Zenyatta’s attention from his summoner. They both watched large letters faded in while the background faded to black. 

“Ah,” said Zenyatta. “I died.”

* * *

Genji's appetite had disappeared by the time they entered the ramen shop. Steam clung in wisps to the ceiling while the strong scent of pork bone soup base wafted in from the kitchens. He should have been drooling worse than a basset hound. 

Instead, the impending consequences of Genji's lie made his gut roil. Somehow he had managed to get extra stalling time while he ate, but eventually he would need to come up with a wish for his demon. What would happen if Genji was caught? Would Zenyatta kill him? Possess him? Chop him up and serve him as soup stock for monster ramen? 

Now Genji had ruined his appetite even further. 

At one point during his internal soliloquies, he had sat down at the kitchen bar and been handed a menu. Not like he needed one or anything; he knew this entire place and all its menus by heart. Still he made to look as if he was trying to decide what to eat so he could keep up the charade. The onigiri weren't that filling it he only got one, he wouldn't need to worry about his sick stomach. Just as Genji raised his hand to call someone over, Zenyatta spoke up. 

“What's this?”

Genji looked down at the table where Zenyatta was pressing his finger on the menu, pointing at the house special miso ramen. 

“Uh, that's ramen” Genji said.

“Yes, I know that. I am fully capable to reading your language,” Zenyatta rolled his eyes. “I mean what is ramen?”

“Oh… the ingredients and stuff are under the name, in the description--”

“And what are those? ‘Chashu’, ‘tamago’...”

“What? How do you expect me to tell you what egg is? It's egg. Is this…?” Genji interrupted himself. “Wait, you don't know what they are?”

“Yes. That is why I am asking. Normally people ask questions about things they don't know about.”

Genji smacked his palm to his forehead (to which a small giggle came from Zenyatta). “Ugh. You know what I mean! Do demons not have these things?”

“We do not,” Zenyatta said, his voice tinged with lament. “Your food is something I've never seen before.”

“Then what do you eat?”

“Not very much. Demons do not need to eat, and if someone ever feels like it, they will usually come to the human world to feed. That, or they eat smaller, lesser demons.”

Somehow the casual way that Zenyatta dropped that bomb made it worse. 

“So you eat humans…. nice…” Genji hummed awkwardly. He looked at the way Zenyatta was still examining the menu. It looked as if the lights made his eyes sparkle. “So, uh.. Do you want to order something?”

Zenyatta’s head snapped up so fast that Genji jumped in his seat. “Yes! I want to try it; human food.”

Looking at the way Zenyatta glowed with excitement, Genji was sure that he wouldn't be able to say no even if he wanted to. 

They had ended up ordering more than half of the menu, despite Genji's queasy feeling earlier. He ordered one tantan for himself and one miso for Zenyatta, as well as chicken karaage and one onigiri for each of them. After Genji had finished the entire bowl and his side he was still hungry. Years and years of competing with Hanzo on who could eat the most ramen were too drilled into his brain to ever be satisfied by only one bowl. He hesitated to call for more… normally when Genji went out for dinner with someone he tried to look like he wasn't a slob-- but those were usually dates. Zenyatta wasn't his date. 

In fact, Zenyatta had scarfed down his food fast enough to rival Genji himself. Barely a drop of broth was left in his bowl and not a speck of rice sat where his onigiri once was. That sparkling, blinding smile was still painted into the demon’s face. He still borderline vibrated in his seat with excitement, if anything it had only gotten worse. Not too surprising given the way Zenyatta had reacted to each new bite of his food… Genji was almost afraid that they would get kicked out for all of his indecent moaning. 

“Is there any more?” Zenyatta had asked, and Genji's fluttering stomach had nothing to do with the copious amounts of food in it. 

From there the two of them had made a good dent in the surrounding restaurants and cafés. Genji showed Zenyatta milk tea, which led to Zenyatta stealing Genji's drink because it had pearls. The next place specialized in fancy dessert, and Genji knew that he would need to work out twice as much for a month if he was going to get rid of all the fat. 

As the sun began to tease the horizon with pinks and oranges, Genji led them to the areas he was more familiar with. The cocktail lounges all greeted Genji by name (and subsequently winked at him and wished him luck just like his friends at the arcade). Zenyatta was treated to the most colourful drinks on the menu. When Genji asked, Zenyatta had answered “You would most likely die if you tried to drink our alcohol.”

As the evening came to an end and they gravitated towards the Shimada estate, Zenyatta came to a sudden halt. Genji almost bumped into him. 

“Hey,” he said. “What's going on?”

Zenyatta spun around and was suddenly in Genji's personal space, their noses only centimetres away. “Genji! I'm so sorry, I forgot to ask you what your wish is!” 

“My wish..?” Genji's stomach sank. 

“I had been having so much fun that I lost track of time,” Zenyatta looked like a guilty puppy. “You don't deserve that, especially after being so kind to me today.”

Genji's stomach sank only deeper as he watched Zenyatta lift off of the ground to float lazily in the air. He slipped his mask back onto his face, the red slit eyes and wide smile giving Genji palpitations. Nine orbs appeared from behind Zenyatta’s back as if they had been there the entire time. They floated in a circle and formed a halo behind their owner's head, the shifting eyes turning gold just as Zenyatta’s had earlier. 

_[Please, tell me what I may grant you. Power… Wealth… Love… I can give you whatever you ask for. ]_

Power..? Genji could take over the clan… shape it in his image. He could do whatever he wanted without being harassed by the elders or his brother. He could even order the entire family to dismantle itself. The Shimada name could be just that… a name. Not a gang, not a threat, and not chains in a prison cell. 

Wealth… With so much money, Genji could finally run away from his responsibilities, from his family. He would have enough to eat and to live healthily far outside the Shimada’s reach. Starting over would be easy. If he wanted to, he wouldn't even need a job with all of the treasure he could wish for. 

Or…..

“I wish…” Genji said. “I wish for you to come back again.”

Zenyatta said nothing, did not even move an inch. He could have been mistaken for a floating, glowing statue. With all of this awkward silence, Genji began to ramble. 

“I, uh, want you to spend the day with me again. I want to play games with you at the arcade, and I want you to watch me beat your score; maybe I can even show you the consoles I have at home… I want to take you more places that I think you'd like. Even… Even if we're just walking in the park like you suggested. I want to see you again.”

Genji finally managed to clap his mouth shut and not babble any longer than he already had. His hands were clenched at his sides, palms wet and uncomfortable. He waited for something… anything. 

The lights inside of those floating orbs darkened until they only glowed as softly as fireflies, pulsing slowly. They drifted downwards until they came to shoulder height and one by one they began to circle the two humanoids. 

But Genji was not paying attention to that. He was watching Zenyatta. Zenyatta, who tucked his thumb under the chin of his mask and lifted it to sit on his head. It revealed the face underneath, with sparkling eyes and a mouth full of white teeth pulled into the biggest smile anyone had ever seen. The setting sun cast warm colours onto the crinkles of his eyes and lit him up. 

Genji forgot how to breathe. 

“I think I can grant that wish,” Zenyatta murmured softly, only audible because they were so close. 

“Y-yeah?” 

A giggle. “Yeah.”

“That's… That's good! I'm glad.”

“There is only one thing I need.”

Genji barely managed to stop himself from anything ‘anything’. “What is it?” 

“I need to seal our contract.”

“Uhm…” Before Genji could ask whether or not it involved human sacrifice his train of thought came to a catastrophic crash, losing millions of dollars in cargo and injuring hundreds. 

The kiss lasted one second. Enough for Genji to feel how soft Zenyatta’s lips were… Enough to breathe in the scent of incense that lingered around him… Enough for Genji to become addicted. 

But not long enough. 

Genji had thought it impossible for Zenyatta’s smile to get any brighter, but the proof was right in front of his face. Zenyatta laughed at the expression Genji wore. “The contract is sealed.”

Zenyatta reached the few centimetres forward that separated them. His hand came to rest on Genji's cheek, and his blue eyes followed as his thumb pressed against Genji's lips, biting his own in sympathy. 

“Good bye, Genji,” Zenyatta said. “I’ll see you again.”

And with that, the demon disappeared in a poof of smoke. It curled around Genji like the arms of a lover, filling his lungs with that same scent of incense. His eyes still stared at the spot that Zenyatta had one occupied. Genji sighed. 

“Wow…”

**Author's Note:**

> I had been meaning to write an au of my au (lol) Oni and Okashi for a while, where it's a role swap. Instead of Zenyatta summoning a demon Genji, it's Genji summoning a demon Zenyatta! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this, and that it lived up to the original fic! I'm prob not gonna do anything more with this tho. You can always check out my tumblr or Twitter and send me a shout!


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